The Pursuitโค of perfection: How a Serve specialist isโฃ Redefining Tennis Power
Coco Gauff‘s relentless driveโ isn’t just about โฃwinning tournaments; its about unlocking โฃher full potential, one serve at a time. This pursuit led โher to collaborate with service coach craig MacMillan, a specialist whose unconventional approachโ is quietly revolutionizing the way top players approach the most crucial shot in tennis.
MacMillan’s impact was โdramatically illustrated by his work with Aryna โSabalenka. He identified โขa criticalโ flaw in her technique -โ a lack of scapular release after the ball toss.This prevented her shoulder blade fromโ fully engaging,hindering โthe transfer of powerโ from her โbody to the racket. By โcorrectingโค this, MacMillan unlocked a new level of explosiveness in Sabalenka’s serve, contributing to her rise toโข World โNo. 1 and her successful defense of the U.S. Open title.
MacMillan’s journey to becoming a serve guru wasn’t a direct path. A former collegiate tennis player at San Jose State, he struggled โคwith his own serve,โค sparking a lifelong interest with the mechanics of the shot. โคHe spent years studying the serve of Pete Sampras,dissecting the blend โคof power,consistency,and pinpoint accuracyโ thatโฃ defined the legend’s game. He โcoached in diverse fields -โ weightlifting,โ combatโฃ sports, and rugby – but always returned toโ the challenge of the tennis serve.
The breakthrough came with Serge Gracovetsky’s “The โSpinal Engine.” Gracovetsky’s work posited that the spine, when properly utilized, could be the central driver of movementโข and power. This resonated deeply โwith MacMillan,who began to view the serve notโ as aโ purely โขarm-driven โmotion,but as a full-body kinetic chain.he argues thatโ the mechanics of a tennis serve share โsimilarities with those ofโ throwing in otherโ sports, like baseball and football. The key is creatingโค a specific angle โ- a โright angle from the elbowโฃ to the armpit,extendingโ down the โขside of the body – while togetherโ flexingโ and snapping the torso forward. A proper toss, with the palm facing upwards, โisโ also crucial. Even minor deviations can โขdisrupt the entire motion.
While the principlesโฃ sound straightforward when explained by MacMillan, accompanied by diagrams โof players like Sampras and Novak Djokovic demonstrating ideal technique, implementing them is a significantโ challenge. The demands of a professional tennis schedule leave little room for extensive overhaul.Gauff, beginning her U.S. Open run against Ajla Tomljanoviฤ, will likely require sustained practiceโข to fully integrate the new โmotion. Sabalenka herself needed weeks of โrepetition before the changes felt natural.
The speedโ at which elite athletes like Gauff andโข Sabalenka can adapt highlights theirโค exceptional body awareness and control. It’s a level ofโข kinesthetic โขintelligence that separates them from the average player. Golfers, for โexample, โfrequently enough spend months, โคeven years, refining their swings.
Ultimately, Gauff’s focus isn’t solely on immediate results atโฃ the U.S. โขOpen. It’s about building a more enduring and powerfulโฃ serve for the long term. despite โa successfulโค year, including a Grand Slamโค title at Rolandโ Garros and finalist appearances in Madrid and Rome, Gauff โคisn’t contentโข with โsimply getting by.โ She demands more fromโ herself.
“I know where I want to see โคmy game in the future,”โค she stated. “I’m not going to waste time playing the way I don’t โwant โฃto play.”
This unwavering commitment to โadvancement, guided by MacMillan’s innovative approach, suggests that Coco โGauff is poised to โฃredefine her game โขand cement her โฃplace among the sport’s โelite.